


Daylight

by sorhi (sorhii)



Series: Guardians of the night [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!, 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime)
Genre: Akaashi only wants to feel loved, Basically they are two idiots who fall in love despite being enemies, Bokuto demon slayer, Brokuto and Kubroo being idiots, Demon slayer aus are pretty rad, Kenma inventor, Kuroo demon slayer, M/M, Other characters are mentioned because this is a whole au, Reincarnation, Tendou is a crazy demon, They all cool
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorhii/pseuds/sorhi
Summary: Bokuto’s blade, pure iron craving the blood of those who stand against humans; it was a demon slayer’s duty to end the sin and protect the night. But could Bokuto hate the coldness of a lonely demon?‘Akaashi is a demon and Bokuto a demon slayer’ AU
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: Guardians of the night [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009836
Comments: 11
Kudos: 52





	1. Roses, Dawn of two souls.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ This is my first haikyuu fanfiction ever ◝(●˙꒳˙●)◜Also, english is not my first language so i’m sorry if something ends up sounding funny or weird (?  
> Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it ~

_Night time_ , the cold breeze traveling south brushed against his face in a serene way and his hair and clothes danced along with the wind's tempo, as if his existence was at a tide’s mercy. Akaashi looked at the moon, as he usually did at that hour. No, it wasn’t like the pearl in the sky’s presence was offensive to him, but he couldn't help but long with all of his might to enjoy the warmth of the sun's kisses just one more time. 

The garden in the center of the property gave off a faint scent of wet dirt and the predominant perfume of the roses that decorated the landscape. Akaashi’s attention went back to the red rose in his hands, which with a scissor he cut off the leaves clinging to its stem, later leaving it in the basket laying on the floor, with some other roses. 

Why was loneliness a common issue those days? Why was his cold chest craving warmthness? 

His gaze ended on his hands, where the pale skin shined in a white tone under the moonlight. 

Akaashi took one last rose, sighing, not wanting to feel nostalgic any longer, measuring where he was going to cut; but before he could even try, the floor under his knees suddenly felt different, and the sound of the bamboo doors violently opening resounded through the silence, filling the empty night. His body went down, but he was not caught off guard, so he just let himself gracefully fall on his knees on the tatami floor, looking up to the scenery of the night above his house, saying goodbye to the roses that were looking down at him before the door closed with a loud thud.

“What is it now, Tendou-san?” 

“Come on Akaashi-kun!” The other demon laughed, laying on the floor, his elaborate garb scattered on the tatami. “Don’t be like that!”

“Good night, Akaashi-dono.”

Akaashi bowed towards Semi, acknowledging his presence, the ‘boy’ was just there, sitting on a golden cushion and reading a black covered book.

“So tell me…What am i doing here?” Tendou chuckled, sitting up and arranging his red hair.

“There’s a festival tonight!” 

Akaashi looked around the room; the eyes of the black inked geisha painted on the canvas on the wall reflected nothing but judgement, so he decided to appreciate the beauty of the colorful pots on the right corner of the room instead. The walls were of some sort of dark wood, the tatami was a dirty shade of red...Akaashi had never been in that place before.

“So?” Were the only words that came out of his mouth.

“What do you mean so?” Tendou pouted, making Akaashi cringe, internally of course.

“There are going to be a lot of people Akaashi-kun!” The red haired demon moved his arms around, looking for words that could express his excitement.

“A bunch of young people!” 

“Tendou-san, I’m not interested in your offer,” Akaashi avoided Tendou’s eyes. “I would like to return home, there are people waiting for me.” 

“Your boring roses are not people Akaashi!” Akaashi clenched his fists, swallowing a sigh that threatened to slip out.

“At least make me some company, yeah?” 

Akaashi pretended to think about it, he knew he didn’t have a choice. The other demon was the personification of mischievousness, his cat-looking eyes seemed to pierce his being, warning him to choose his next words wisely. What else could you expect from upper moon 2? His irises were surrounded by a black ocean, the red iris of his left eye was very small compared to that of his right one, which seemed to imitate the great full moon shining up in the sky, where one could clearly read his ranking in thick white characters. Tendou’s pale face was decorated with symbols and shapes in a purple tone, but hey, Akaashi was sure if he had met him when they were still humans he wouldn't want to be nowhere near him, even if the boy didn’t wear all the characteristics of a demon.

“Alright, I’ll go.” Tendou celebrated with a little ‘woohoo!’, his eyes shining and his grin giving Akaashi terrible goosebumps. He really hated with all his guts the smell of iron lingering in the air, reaching his nose and triggering violent death scenes on his mind. 

“But i only agreed because i don’t trust you to behave yourself, if i feel that you are surpassing my moral’s limits, i’ll have to stop you.” Akaashi realized way too late what he said was not even close to what the other demon wanted to hear. 

Tendou stopped, any trace of mischievousness disappearing from his face and his red eyes going dark. 

Fuck.

“Akaashi, if you ever dare to express yourself like a human in my presence again, I'll personally gouge your eyes out and force you to swallow them.” 

Akaashi swallowed dryly, but the straight expression on his face didn't waver, even though his heartbeat was out of control and the palm of his hands were starting to sweat coldly. 

“Yes, Tendou-san.” 

Tendou smiled again, showing off his long fangs. 

“Yay!” Tendou snapped his fingers, a lower ranked demon appearing by his side in just a blink. “Lets go!” The demon, with biwa in hand, played two strings, another door swallowing Akaashi and opening just a second later, making him fall on the grass under a sakura tree, just some meters away from the bright lights coming from the lively festival. 

★

“Kuroo! Kuroo! Look! Look!” Kuroo grunted, leaving the sake bottle on the floor and looking at a very excited Bokuto with annoyance.

The night covered the city like a big dark cloak, the stars and the moon looking like silver embroidered decorations, shining brighter than any light coming from the city. The room they were in was illuminated by a delicate lamp hanging from the ceiling and some aromatic candles, which gave off a strong cinnamon scent. 

“Añwiurfuwqehf Kurooo, look, Kurooo!” Bokuto held up the sketchbook, showing a drawing that was just a large black spot.

“I’m looking, i’m looking.” Kuroo inspected the drawing, staring at his friend like he was heavily judging him. 

“What in the actual fuck is that thing Bokuto, it looks like my left toe.” Bokuto frowned, opening his mouth only to close it later a couple of times, he didn't find any clever comment to reply, so he just ended up pouting. 

Kuroo sighed, not wanting to make Bokuto depressed. 

“Is it abstract?” Bokuto examined his work, squinting his eyes and looking completely conflicted before nodding aggressively, puffing out his chest, proud of...that thing. 

“Bullshit…” Kenma mumbled softly from the chair in front of his desk. 

“How did you know bro?!” Kuroo showed off his characteristic shit-eating grin.

“I guess i’m an art expert.” The cold flow of the breeze crept through the only opened window in the room, which showed one of the main streets in the distance, it was just a normal summer night.

“Why on earth do you have to drink in my house?” Kenma asked, tightening the grasp on the screwdriver in his right hand, suppressing the urge to attack the other two boys in the room with it. The desk was covered with a bunch of stuff, copper gears of all sizes, metal parts, random screws and different kinds of tools, Kenma was currently working on a pretty wooden clock. 

“Come oooon Kenmaaa, you know we don’t have any other safe place to meet!” Kuroo laughed when Bokuto traced a mustache under his nose with the calligraphy brush. Kenma thought about it for a second, side eyeing the empty bottle, the katanas inside their sheaths laying on the floor and their dirty uniforms. He was never going to admit it outloud, but everytime the two demon slayers met at his house a wave of relief and calmness seemed to hit him directly on the face; the sight of Bokuto and Kuroo laughing in front of him was the best feeling in the world, only knowing that they were safe and alive was enough for Kenma to smile. But the blackhaired boy sighed, closing his eyes and massaging his temples with his free hand, accidentally smearing his forehead with black oil which made him grunt in desperation. 

“Does it have to be in my room though?”

“Shhh we need to concentrate.” Kenma raised an eyebrow, wrinkling his face in disgust at the sight of the hideous scribbles the boys were making on one of HIS big sketchbooks. 

“What the fuck are you two doing?” Bokuto looked up, his tongue between his lips showing how seriously he was taking the drawing contest, apparently they were competing on who could draw the best cat.

“Is that a duck?” Kenma asked, extremely pleased with the offended expression on Kuroo’s face 

“Danger! Danger! Festival! Festival!” A black crow entered from the window, startling the three boys and flying in circles inside the room. Bokuto wiped the ink out of his face with the back of his right hand, changing his usual expression to a serious one and quickly grabbing his belt and katana, donning his flame patterned haori. “Oh man, I thought we could have a day off.” Kuroo laughed, but his tired eyes didn't match the action. Although most of their lives were filled with demons, blood, violence, grief, mourning and rage, every minute before meeting a new demon was worse than walking through purgatory, the anxiety and the uncertainty of what awaited them, not knowing if they would live to contemplate a new dawn and sigh in relief at them sun’s presence…

“Let’s go.”

Kenma put everything down on the desk, not even thinking about wiping his hands before leaping onto Kuroo, hugging him tightly, pressing his face against his chest and inhaling his natural scent mixed with sweat. Kuroo took two steps back, surprised.

“Wow, wow, wow, kitten wh-” Kenma tightened the hug, shaking his head, feeling the way his eyes and nose were starting to sting. 

Bokuto admired the scene from the doorway, impatiently shifting into place. 

“Kuroo we have to go,” Kuro returned the hug, kissing Kenma’s head sweetly, whispering something in his ear. “Kuroo now!”

Kuroo tried to break away from Kenma, but the boy refused to let go of him. “Please…” Kenma’s body began to tremble. “Don’t go.”

“Kuroo move, we have to go!” Bokuto was already glancing outside, looking like he was about to burst. 

“Kenma i have to g-” 

“No!” 

“Kenma now is not the time!” Bokuto yelled, gritting his teeth and desperately running a hand through his hair.

“No Bokuto you don’t get it!” Kenma pointed at him, angrily opening his eyes, ready to spit out everything going through his mind at the moment, although to be honest, Kenma had always been a person of few words. 

“I can’t take it anymore!” He led his hands to his head, pulling the black locks. “Having to wait here, not knowing if you would come back to me or not!” This time he referred to Kuroo, who just swallowed heavily, closing his lips, not knowing what to say. 

Because he _knew_. He already knew he was hurting the most important person in his life. Kuroo wasn’t ready to face Kenma like that, because the idea of Kenma complaining had never crossed his mind before, not even in his wildest dreams he thought of the boy declaring how worried he was for his well being.

“Please don’t go! Stay with me!” Kuroo really didn't know what to say, he was starting to panic.

“Kenma you’re acting like a child!” Bokuto yelled at him, getting angry too, they didn’t have time for that! 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 1 minute! Any amount of time, no matter how insignificant may seem, made the difference between life and death for a person when it came to demons. Everytime the ticking from the clock rang through the room, Bokuto’s patiente took a hit. 

“Bokuto shut the fuck up!”

“Kenma calm down!” Kuroo tried to approach him to give him one last hug, but the boy pushed him away.

“Kenma, you know this is my job,” Kuroo clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. “If i die protecting humans that’s ok! It’s my fate anyway!” It was inevitable, there was nothing he could do, so Kenma just broke down, starting to cry really loudly, a hand on his chest wrinkling the fabric of his shirt as if the heart inside his ribcage hurt.

“You- UGHH YOU ARE SO SELFISH.” Kenma hit Kuroo’s chest, lacking strength thanks to the sobbings attacking his skinny body. “GET OUT OF HERE.” Bokuto took Kuroo by the arm, dragging him out of the room as fast as he could before the boy regretted it and decided to stay with Kenma, who was left inside the room, crying and screaming with rage, throwing everything that was on his desk on the floor.

The two boys ran through the slightly illuminated streets, accompanied by a heavy silence, which was ironic because the night was more than alive, all the shops and restaurants were open, the sound of pure joy just making their ears perish. They ran and ran, running out of breath but never taking their eyes off the crow, never losing sight of it, even though the animal seemed to get lost between the black of the night sky and its own dark color. The lights in the distance were warm but the screams that made their way through the natural calm of the night and the powerful scent of death traveling through the air only fueled the boys’ panic. They reached the festival in what seemed like hours, but they were only seconds in disguise with the purpose of mocking them. Kuroo and Bokuto were greeted by the worst scenario that a demon slayer could encounter...yukatas and kimonos stained with blood, raw meat scattered on the floor and opened eyes looking at nothing, _the trace that death left while walking through the festival_ ... Things that bokuto always tried to ignore but that the empathy filling every inch of his body prevented him from. 

“Oh man what the hell…” Kuroo’s shaking breath tickled the other demon slayer’s ear, he knew that at that moment Kuroo was regretting not getting to the scene sooner. Bokuto gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead and arms starting to stand out with fury as his gaze fell on the ordinary demon feeding on a man’s body, enjoying what was left of a being that just minutes ago laughed in those same streets. Bokuto took the initiative, running towards the demon and not giving him the satisfaction to even react to his presence since he cut his head off in just a second, feeling how his own pupils violently contracted and how the hairs on his nape bristled. 

“HAHAHHAHA Oh myyyyy~, What do we have here?” A red haired demon appeared in front of them and Kuroo gasped when he noticed that his left eye had characters in it. 

“Son of a bitch!” Bokuto started following Tendou, not thinking before acting, something that he usually did when rage blinded his rationality.

“Bokuto be careful, he’s an upper moon!” Kuroo’s voice didn’t reach the other boy, he was way too busy keeping track of the demon, whose behavior implied he was having a great time, laughing and teasing Bokuto.

“Akaashi! Look who came!” The pure excitement in the demon's expression was unnerving, bordering on disgusting. Tendou had led the two demon slayers out of the festival, to a beautiful place where a sakura tree stood tall, surrounded by benches placed there for people to enjoy the scenery of the flower field in the distance. Akaashi turned his head to see, not even a little interested in what the other demon was pointing out. In front of them were two young men, wearing the dark uniform of the demon slayer corp.

_Oh no._

The one on the right had messy hair, the black locks pointing in every direction, somehow matching his appearance and his deep dark circles. When Akaashi's bored gaze fell on the boy on the left, question after question started to pop in his head. Certiently that boy couldn’t be real, How did a human look like _that_? White hair with random black roots hiding under the pale color and highly expressive amber eyes that reflected the light source that was the moon shining above them. His hair currently fell over his forehead, dripping wet with sweat. 

He vaguely reminded him of an owl...

If it wasn’t for the anger overflowing from them, Akaashi would have thought that his eyes were beautiful.

“Akaashi this is so much fun!” Tendou looked at him, jumping like an excited puppy.

Both boys were breathing heavily, holding on tightly to their katanas as if their lives depended on them, well...they did. 

“Dessert!” Tendou yelled, licking the blood that seemed to melt on his hands. 

“That’s what we are to you?!” Bokuto laughed loudly, incredibly offended. “Man, can you please take us seriously?” 

“Oi Bokuto, calm down!” Kuroo analyzed his surroundings, looking for an escape route. But Kuroo already knew Bokuto couldn’t think rationally in a demon’s presence, his body moved instinctively, the iron of his blade seeking, _craving_ , any kind of contact with the dirty flesh of those beings. Bokuto placed the katana in front of him, tightening the grip on the handle, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing for just a fraction of a second.

“Oh~” Tendou crossed his arms, squinting his eyes. “I spy with my little eye...a breathing technique!” Bokuto opened his eyes, running towards Tendou, his movements being fluent as if the fight was an intense dance, but the demon dodged every attack, teasing Bokuto by chuckling everytime the edge of the blade missed his body. Kuroo took a step back, How was Bokuto so brave? So motivated? While him...he was a fucking coward. No, it was a fucking upper moon, Who wouldn’t be scared in that situation?! Kuroo knew why he was hesitating, that had been his biggest sin, knowing the comfort outside of the lifestyle they already had and taste love... Kuroo was never going to be his wreckless old-self again. But Bokuto was different, the boy was trying to fight upper moon 2, following him everytime he jumped and executing all the postures of flame breathing. 

Akaashi didn’t understand...Why was a being as delicate and fragile as that boy fighting for others’ sake? Humans were selfish and greedy by instinct, wanting more than they need and hoarding unnecessary things, filling with lies the void that the non-existent ‘perfect happiness’ left in their chest.

But who was that person in front of him? 

Tendou flicked his fingers towards Bokuto, sending him flying through the air with just that tiny movement, his body colliding with the trunk of a tree. 

_He didn’t stand a chance against Tendou._

“HAHAHAHHAA He’s so funny Akaashi-kun!” Tendou got closer, taking advantage of the fact that Bokuto, on his knees, held his chest in pain, never letting go of his katana. 

“Bokuto!” 

Akaashi side-eyed to his left, raising an eyebrow at the other boy who was panicking, so far he hadn’t tried any breathing technique, so it didn’t take Akaashi long to figure out he wasn’t that big of a deal. 

Kuroo tried to calm his breathing, give it a defined rhythm so that the oxygen could flow easily and his thoughts were more concise and coherent. It was a fucking upper moon for fucks sake! He prepared himself, glancing at the other demon who seemed kinda bored with the whole situation. White skin as it were snow, night colored hair, three crescent moons on his cheeks and forehead; his eyes’ scleras were a deep shade of black, making the blue calypso of his iris stand out… Kuroo gasped for air, his lungs contracting inside his ribcage and his heart’s beating losing any sense of rhythm, it was as if a bucket of ice water had fallen on him; his eyes roamed over the characters, _upper moon three._

Akaashi sighed when he noticed the frightened look on Kuroo’s face, both beings turning around when Tendou growled, surprised when they noticed how the demon’s arm was starting to regenerate and the limb that was on the ground was already disappearing.

“Tendou-san, I think we should leave now.” 

_How?_

Bokuto grunted from deep in his throat, ignoring the pain from his broken ribs and the big scratch on his arm. 

_Why?_

The demon slayer lunged once more at the demon, but it was greeted by Tendou’s strong grip and a pleased grin. 

“Tendou-san, no!” Tendou hit Bokuto's abdomen, burying his long, sharp nails into his flesh and laughing at the horror reflecting on the demon slayer’s expression, starting to vibrate with excitement at the sight of blood falling on the floor, but before Tendou could continue hurting him, Akaashi came up to the main scene, violently separating them and positioning himself between the demon and the boy, showing his fangs in clear warning, he then looked back and noticed how the boy laid on the ground, motionless with his eyes closed and the pool of blood under his body lengthening with time. 

“Akaashi-kun! hahahaha Don’t worry!” Tendou wiped some of the blood off his face with the back of his hand, even though his voice sounded playful his eyes were overflowing with anger.

“I can share some pillar meat with you!” 

“BOKUTO!” The other demon slayer was starting to hyperventilate and his eyes were already filling with tears, which made him see all blurry. He was petrified in place since he couldn't move nor process the current situation. Kuroo shook his head. No, that wasn’t happening, it was just one of his usual nightmares. _Right?_ The corpse laying on the ground wasn’t Bokuto. 

Akaashi snapped his fingers, summoning Tendou’s underling, kinda surprised that it worked. 

“Yuki-san open a door to my house, now!” Yuki looked back and forth between the two upper moon, eyes wide open and pure confusion on her face. 

“...HAHAHAHAHA Have you lost your mind Akaashi?!” 

“Yuki-san do it now!” Akaashi felt guilty for bringing her trouble, but he didn’t have time to think about that!

Kuro started to backaway, **_that was not happening._ **Not only had his best friend been killed in front of him while he was wetting his fucking pants, he had also lost the possibility of recovering his body to mourn him properly. The two fucking upper moon were fighting for his bestfriend’s body, one of the demons was going to feast on his friends remains. Kuroo ran away as fast as he could, never looking back and doing his best not to trip on his own feet.

“Yuki, don’t you dare obey him!” Tendou yelled once he noticed that the demon’s fingers had already found their way to the strings. The demon didn’t listen, playing three strings and in less than one second a big door opened at the left side of Akaashi. “I'm sorry Tendou-sama,” Akaashi picked Bokuto from the ground, not even thinking twice before carrying him bridal style. “Akaashi-sama is Master Muzan’s favorite, I can't disobey him!” That night, upper moon three walked under the door’s frame, which closed violently behind him, the sound echoing in the emptiness of the main room of his house, with the flame pillar in his arms.

★

“...Why?” Konoha’s confused gaze felt extremely heavy, like the boy was judging every single decision Akaashi had made throughout his whole existence.

“I don’t know Konoha, Ok?” Akaashi was putting pressure on the wound with a piece of cloth. “Just hurry up and help me, please.” Konoha flinched when he raised his voice, making Akaashi grit his teeth. _Not even his only ‘friend’ felt safe around him._

Konoha took some bandages, a bottle of alcohol, a piece of cloth and a suture kit out of his leather bag.

“Give me some time...although i don’t think i can do much.” Akaashi forced his gaze off Bokuto’s pale face and his heart missed a beat when Konoha avoided his eyes. 

“He has lost too much blood.” Akaashi examined the demon slayer’s face once again, frowning with worry at the way his lips were starting to turn purple. Silence filled the small room they were currently in, one of the many empty ones in Akaashi’s house.

“Didn’t you try _‘healing techniques’_ a few years ago?” After some minutes Konoha’s voice caught his attention. “You told me about that.” 

“I've only practiced on animals…”

  
  
  



	2. Roses, Finding the warmthness hidden in sin.

Bokuto opened his eyes after some hours, examinanting the wooden ceiling above him, then glancing over the thin paper walls and finally looking at the face of the boy kneeling by his side, on the tatami floor. _Thank god_ , a human. He seemed pretty young, around his age, his eyes were small and his hair was an ashy blond tone. “Am i dead?” He asked in a hoarse voice, realizing until that moment how dry his throat was.

“No, you’re not.” Konoha chuckled, reaching for a glass of water and placing it against Bokuto’s lips. “You were badly hurt though.” Bokuto swallowed and then looked at him with his eyes wide open.

“So am i going to die?” Konoha frowned in disbelief. 

“I don’t know...Do you feel like dying?” Bokuto thought about it for a second, furrowing his eyebrows and losing his gaze in a corner of the room. He definitely knew about the uncomfortable _touch_ of the bandages against his skin, and he couldn't feel his right arm nor his torso, but he was relatively fine, as long as his heart was still beating and he could still stand and hold his katana, he was alright. 

“I don’t think so…”

“Then there’s your answer.”

“Wait, I don't feel any pain, Doesn’t that mean I’m going to die?” The sound of the sliding door opening made bokuto’s muscles tense up, and when Akaashi walked inside the room, carrying a change of clothes, his eyes meeting for just a fraction of a second... he tried to sit and reach for the katana lying by his side. The whole situation felt surreal, the demon was wearing a fancy kimono that showed mount fuji embroidered in such a delicate way that Bokuto hated to admit it was beautiful and the curious gleam in his calypso eyes made him sick, Was that a joke?

“Wow wow wow wow wow,” Konoha pushed Bokuto down, feeling kinda guilty the moment he noticed the panic in the demon slayer’s eyes. “You can’t do anything in that state, and Akaashi is not here to hurt you anyway.” 

“Akaashi?” Bokuto pronounced the name with hatred, glancing over the demon who was looking at them from the entrance; the expressionless face made Bokuto’s blood boil with anger. 

“Yeah, he’s a good demon you know.” Bokuto looked at Konoha as if the boy had lost his mind. “Are you insane? He’s an upper moon!” Akaashi took a step back, not wanting to make the boy uncomfortable with his presence. 

“And your savior, if it wasn’t for him you would definitely be dead.” Konoha started to pack his things, sighing. “You should thank him, he faced bratty Tendou just to save you,” Konoha stopped, looking directly into Bokuto's pupils. “Do you know how dangerous an angry Tendou is?” Bokuto swallowed dryly, slowly shaking his head at the serious expression in the other boy’s face, he felt _trapped_ inside that room, he was hurt and there was a fucking upper moon less than 4 metters away from him, He didn’t even know where the fuck he was! What was that place? Memories of last night flashed through his mind. Festival, death, demon, upper moon two, death's caress in the lower part of his abdomen, _Kuroo's frightened expression…_

“Kuroo! Where’s Kuroo?! Is Kuroo alright?!” Bokuto tried to sit once again, starting to panic at the mere thought of his friend dying. “I need to see Kuroo!”

“Lay down!” Konoha pushed him down, pointing a finger at him, squinting his (already small) eyes. “If you don’t stop moving I’m going to sedate you.” 

“But Kuroo…” Bokuto’s voice was just a sad whisper. Oh, _empathy_ . Caring for others, worrying about the sake of someone else and forgetting one’s pains. Why did humanity feel so strange to him? Akaashi hated himself for not remembering what caring deeply for another being felt. Sure, he cared about Konoha, one of the hundreds of humans he had saved from other demons throughout this whole existence, out of all of them, Konoha was the only one to insist to stay in contact, visiting and helping him by providing some company, but it was really hard to establish a relationship with someone who was always sideglancing at him and flinching at every single movement he did. It was like the boy was pitying him, and Akaashi didn’t have the heart to tell Konoha he shouldn’t force himself to hangout with him. _Was it empty empathy all along?_

“Is that the name of your demon slayer friend?” Akaashi asked, pressing the clothes against his chest, a little scared to talk to the demon slayer. Wasn’t it ironic? He was the ‘dangerous’ being in the room, and still he was behaving like he was some sort of kitten. But it was just that the boy’s presence was so strong, so vibrant, so _colorful_...He was intimidated by it, by the embodiment of all the positive traits a human being could offer.

“Yes.” Bokuto answered cautiously. Yeah, that was definitely one of his weird dreams, it was impossible to maintain a calm conversation with a demon, let alone an upper moon...Right? Maybe he was just testing him! Making sure if he was worth eating, maybe that’s why he was helping him recover, just to eat him when he got better.

“He’s safe, I saw him running away from the scene when he thought you were dead.” Bokuto grimaced, wrinkling his nose, squinting his eyes and twisting his mouth, Kuroo running away? The same Kuroo that rode a big demon while laughing his ass off? Kuroo the boy voted as the wildest demon slayer by all their friends? (Well, after Matsukawa and Hanamaki, but that wasn’t important) Kuroo, the one who defeated a lower moon all by himself despite not knowing any breathing techniques? Yeah right. But why would a demon lie to him? Was he playing with him? He was not stupid! He may look clumsy to the people close to him but he was pretty sure at that exact moment he was doing a really good job at showing his most serious expression...Right? 

Silence filled the room, accentuating the stridulation sound performed by the grasshoppers and the summer cicadas roaming the wildness of the garden on the other side of the wall. Judging by the faint natural light peeking through the door priorly opened by Akaashi, the demon had already let the rays of the dying sun creep into the property, A window? A stained glass skylight? Who knew. It was the golden hour, and Bokuto was sure if the demon happened to go out he'd be instantly killed by the sun. Why risk it? 

“Give me that.” It wasn't Konoha's plan to keep drowning in the thick tension for another minute, so after grunting dramatically and rolling his eyes, he reached his hand out for Akaashi to give him the clothes. “Dress up, I have to leave and you’re going to stay alone with Akaashi.” Bokuto looked at him, nothing but horror reflected on his face. 

“I know he’s going to take good care of you.” Konoha smiled sincerely. 

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ★ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

  
  


“Are you hungry?” Akaashi poked his head into the room, every single butterfly in his stomach fluttering eagerly. Who would’ve thought? Such a high ranked demon fearing a demon slayer, a single and mere _human._ Why was Akaashi doing that again?

Bokuto looked at him without hesitating, and Akaashi just pretended to ignore the fact he was more scared of the human than the human of him. The boy was sitting on the futon, wearing the lower part of his uniform and leaving the red yukata he had given him open, revealing the bandages covering his whole torso. He was holding the katana still inside of its sheath tightly, and at the sight of the demon the grip only got stronger, making his knuckles go white.

“Please don’t talk to me.” His hair was almost covering his eyes, so the expressive amber was looking directly at him between the white locks. He seemed ready to attack. Ready to get up, unsheathe the weapon and behead him. 

Humanity felt strange again, reminding him that his existence itself was a sin. _Pure hatred directed towards him_...the boy hated him without knowing anything about him, Why? Just because he was part of a group of demons who killed humans. But Akaashi wasn’t like them, he wasn’t like Tendou who liked to enjoy summer by performing exaggerated killing sprees, nor like Kyotani, who was known as the demon Master Muzan had to lecture because he was killing way too many men, Akaashi liked that violent, grumpy demon though, despite being trapped inside the sin of killing for centuries, he only aimed for the worst of the scum, rapists, killers and politicians… But to be honest, if Akaashi happened to be in Bokuto’s situation he would have hated himself as well, finding every inch of his being disgusting.

“But I-”

“Leave.” Bokuto demanded.

  
  


.・。.・゜✭・★・✫・゜・。.

  
  


Dusk was just around the corner, the sky welcoming the pale color that indicated the transition from the bright blue to the warm tones soon to paint the sky, the room kept getting dimmer by the second, and that house didn’t seem to have electricity. He didn't have to stay inside that cold room, right? Was the door locked? Bokuto got up to check, almost tripping with his own feet. The door was indeed not locked, so he had the choice to leave, right? Fuck it! He was not scared, mainly because the demon didn't seem aggressive at all, but Bokuto told himself that he was not scared because he was awesome and a pillar, What could go wrong? 

Well, Bokuto wasn’t expecting that. 

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he was welcomed by a extense corridor. He glanced left, then right, but both ends were exactly the same. Where should he go? He ended up heading north, well, right. Bokuto liked to think it was north, even though he couldn’t tell for obvious reasons. Both sides of the walls were just elegant pairs of sliding doors, with painted landscapes, first carved in the wood and then colored with natural tints. Bokuto loved the art, there were some clouds, fields, exotic animals, demons and gods from known legends. About the lightning...it was dark as fuck. The corridor was only illuminated by random torches between each pair of doors, but somehow the fire was faint, if that made sense at all. 

What in the actual fuck was that place? There had to be some sort of magic involved because there was no way the property was _that_ big.

Bokuto’s curiosity won against his rationality and his cautious instincts, the boy slowly opened one of the sliding doors, restraining himself from looking inside by closing his eyes and trying his best not to surrender to his fear of the unknown. He peeked into the room, slightly opening his right eye and when he noticed it was just a normal tea room, he sighed in relief. It was absolutely stunning, the teapot in the exact center of the room, the clean tatamis and the subtle decoration in the walls. How did a demon live in that mansion? Were demons rational beings? Wait a minute…

“Demons can drink tea?” 

Bokuto kept walking, opening another door, the one that followed. It was a huge bedroom with a big bed and a single pot on the right side, Bokuto frowned at the red roses, finding their presence kinda odd. He then proceeded to investigate the next room, an empty room, then the next one, a room filled with art materials, then the next one, an office/studio. Bokuto allowed himself to enter into the cold room, using the little light that creeped inside to read the writings scattered across the large desk. Yeah...Bokuto couldn’t read kanjis, but he could appreciate the beauty in all those flower illustrations though. _Tsubaki, sumire, asagao, kiku,_ all of them colored with fine colors, soft watercolor and light graphite... Every flower had an extensive description and there were arrows pointing every part of them. _Weird._

What was even weirder, something that didn’t catch his attention at first, was the remarkably big window in one of the walls. Wow, the field outside the house and the moonlight pouring silver all over the faint colors of the flowers were beautiful...Bokuto ran to the window, desperately trying to open it, with no avail. He hit it with all his strength, he even unsheathed his katana, grasping tightly to the handle and focusing on his breathing. Bokuto executed the fifth form, but it didn't work.

Bokuto grunted, _he was trapped there._

The boy spent the next hour sitting on the chair in front of the desk, passing pages filled with drawings and sketches, he even tried reading the journal titled ‘Red magic lily’, but gave up instantly. Damn kanjis and whoever invented them, Wasn’t hiragana enough? Bokuto sighed for the nth time that night, deciding to resume his little adventure, but when he opened the next door his blood turned cold, his nape started to sweat and he felt short in oxygen. It was the same tea room...The rooms that followed were starting to repeat themselves and Bokuto thought he might be going insane. 

He was starting to panic, no matter how many turns he tooked or how many doors he opened, he always ended up in the same entrance, frowning at the same fucking window; with every minute that passed the moon and the flowers were starting to lose their beauty. Oh my god, he had turned too many times and went through random doors that led to other corridors that he didn’t know where he came from anymore! He was going to die there, what was making him even more mad was his stupid stomach begging for dinner. 

Damn upper moon three! Fucking Akaashi, if he happened to meet with the demon one more time he was going to end him for sure, How dare him playing tricks on a pillar.

Once more he decided to keep moving forward, this time with rage fueling his intentions. But even though he was raised by one of the strongest demon slayers, he had killed 40 demons to date and he knew almost all the sins roaming under the night sky...every time his body sensed a demon near him he would get the disgusting feeling of his guts twisting, his mouth going dry and his heart beating racing. 

Bokuto peeked around the corner, holding his breath. Akaashi sat on a big dark cushion, which had beautiful flowers embroidered, exactly at the right side of a huge wooden shrine. Even though the altar was such a delicate piece, extremely elaborated with a landscape carved in the pure dark oak and decorated with small details in gold, inside of it were only two picture frames and a single lit candle. The red roses at its feet shined as the only vibrant color in the room and Bokuto counted at least 20 other candles.

_How._ Every muscle in Akaashi’s body tensed up at the strange presence, How in the world did the demon slayer find him? He must have been wandering the labyrinth for hours, oh no poor boy. The demon was definitely not ready for a fight, he really didn’t want to hurt the demon slayer.

“Oh shit.” Bokuto cussed, exaggeratedly covering his mouth when he realized he had spoken out loud.

Akaashi cleared his throat in an attempt to hide any trace of anxiousness from his demeanor, but when he noticed the way Bokuto flinched in response he concluded it was impossible. Wow, he was truly going insane, humans were starting to look like cute creatures to him. The boy looked genuinely curious, he was no longer emanating rage, Wasn’t that boy aware he was a demon? If he wanted to, he could even hear his heart beating inside his chest, and if Akaashi focused hard enough, the sound of blood running through his veins. Akaashi tried, closing his eyes and clearing his mind, but what he heard was not a calm, silent sound, Bokuto’s stomach growled, demanding food in an aggressive way that had Akaashi chuckling and opening his eyes to look directly at the demon slayer. 

Where was all that confidence coming from? He already knew, and he felt disgusted with himself for it. He was feeling superior again, he was stronger than that little human. 

All the color in Bokuto’s face was drained, but then a rush of blood colored him red. Why couldn't his body decide between feeling scared and feeling embarrassed?

“Are you hungry?” Akaashi asked. 

Duh, he hadn’t eaten anything all day. 

Bokuto nodded cautiously. 

And that’s how they both ended in Akaashi’s kitchen, the two beings drowning in the palpable tension. Bokuto examined the room with just his eyes, noticing the huge pots in the corner, the two furnaces, the iron pans and pots. It felt...empty, and cold. That traditional kitchen hadn’t been used in years, probably centuries. 

“I don’t have food, but Konoha must be on his way with the ingredients.” At the exact moment Akaashi finished talking, three knocks resounded in the room.

“Huh?!” Bokuto gaped once Akaashi opened the door that led to the main corridor, but on the other side was the exterior instead. Konoha greeted the demon slayer with an awkward smile and the demon with a respectful bow, but before Bokuto could even think about escaping, Akaashi hurried to close the door and once he turned to face the two humans any trace of panic had already disappeared from his face. 

“Uhmm, How is everything going?” Konoha grunted internally, Why did he have to open his mouth? He didn’t have to be the one talking! And they were the most awkward duo, A demon slayer and a demon? No thanks, he wanted to be really far from the chaos that awaited them. What in the fuck was Akaashi thinking? Although...Konoha was never going to fully understand the suffering of someone who had the misfortune of living forever, having to kill humans to survive. He must feel lonely and guilty...

Konoha and Akaashi started cooking soon after, chatting in whispers and kinda forgetting about the demon slayer sitting on the old wooden chair in the corner. Maybe they hadn’t forgotten about him, maybe he was just being dramatic, and maybe, just maybe the boys weren’t whispering, but for a loud person like Bokuto, they were annoyingly calm. So instead of eavesdropping their conversation about the other uppermoon (Damn that Sakusa guy sounded like an asshole), Bokuto decided to appreciate the art of cooking, following with his eyes the motion of the knife slicing the vegetables and the raw chicken, biting his lips at the delicious aroma and the sizzling sound coming from the meat being fried in the iron pan. 

“Itadakimasu…” Bokuto practically swallowed the food once Konoha lended him his plate, doing his best to ignore the weight of the intense stare coming from the demon. He was _creepy._ Oh god he was probably judging his manners, or maybe it had something to do with his messy hair, which was starting to go back to his usual position, pointing upwards. Bokuto shaked all the thoughts out of his head and focused on eating. The dust covering the old table was disgusting, even for him. He had encountered a beautiful, _clean_ dining room when he explored the house, Why was he eating there?

“...”

Akaashi felt like crying, he wanted to disappear. Akaashi didn’t like the smell coming from the delicious food displayed in front of him. Akaasi felt nostalgic. Akaashi was sad. Akaashi was _jealous_.

When was the last time he had eaten anything? Would his mom cry if she somehow found out he couldn't eat anymore? 

Once Bokuto finished his dinner and awkwardly thanked the demon and the boy... Akaashi stood up, expecting for the demon slayer to do the same. 

“Let me guide you to your room,” Akaashi bowed his head towards Konoha, letting him know he would come back to the room later. “You are allowed in the kitchen whenever you want.” He referred to Bokuto. 

  
  


★

  
  


“Why did you save me?” Bokuto asked the next morning, sitting on one of the purple cushions and leaving the cup filled with green tea on the table in front of him, inspecting the demon reading on the other side. Akaashi looked up, clearing his throat. Bokuto didn’t like how he couldn’t read his eyes, it was probably due the black surrounding them or maybe it was just that he was good at hiding his emotions, either way, they were _cold_. 

“I thought you didn’t deserve to die…” Akaashi was happy with himself, despite being a demon he was the one who gave that boy a second chance, the demon slayer could continue with his duty of ending the sin and protecting the night, and that was all thanks to him. 

Akaashi wanted to thank him for killing demons and saving lives. If only Master Muzan wasn’t capable of listening to every little thing he said...But apparently Bokuto wasn’t feeling as good as him, since his jaw seemed to tense and his nostrils flared outwards, as if he was disappointed with his answer. 

“And who are you to decide who deserves to live and who deserves to die?” Bokuto’s eyes spat fire, but the faint gleam of curiosity was clearly present underneath all those layers of discomfort. Bokuto cringed at himself, finding the way he thought he could get along with a demon stupid. He was convinced that the demon might have been different, but at the end of the day he was not human anymore, he had the privilege of only having to pity those capable of dying.

“What about all the people upper moon 2 killed? Did they deserve to die?” Akaashi opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. There was no point in looking for empty excuses, Did Akaashi need the demon slayer’s validation? Akaashi scolded himself internally, he was definitely seeking the boy's approval, he wanted more than anything to be acknowledged as the only rational demon, the only monster capable of feeling empathy towards humans. Was that a bad thing? Was he being hypocritical? Probably.

“I...You’re right.” Even though his eyes were roaming the little characters, Akaashi was not reading anymore. Bokuto would never understand….It was not that easy to stop Tendou once he started _feasting_ , Tendou at first glance may seem like a ‘fun to be around’ demon, and he kinda was, but there was more behind that feisty personality. He was violent, _brutal_ , he liked killing just for fun and between all the sins surrounding his existence, gluttony standed out the most. What was really easy though, was agreeing with someone to avoid further conflict. That was something Akaashi had learned early in life, just before turning into the...thing he was. 

“I’m sorry…” Akaashi apologized.

Bokuto huffed, sipping his tea and looking around the room, occasionally side glancing at the demon, cute curiosity reflected on his face. 

What in the world was he doing? He could have just let the demon slayer leave hours ago, he could deal with the wound by himself, What was the point of forcing him to make him company?…But what if the wound got infected? What if it started bleeding again? What if once the spell faded he died of a heart attack due the pain? Why was he coming up with excuses to justify his desire for human warmthness? 

Akaashi sighed. 

  
  


★

  
  


The days began to pass, and the setting of the sun and the awakening of the moon went unnoticed by Bokuto, who was starting to lose his sanity a little more each day. He only went out of his room to eat, and to take a shower in one of the gardens in the big house, where big barrels filled with rain water helped him feel better when the summer heat started bothering him. He only knew how to get to those places because Akaashi helped him memorize the routes the first night.

Bokuto was staying in the room Akaashi arranged for him, and everytime the clock strucked 8 am, 2 pm and 6 pm, Bokuto came out of the cozy place and went straight to the dining room, where delicious meals were waiting for him. That was his routine for a week now, a week in which he hadn’t seen the demon.

“For fucks sake.” He had already given up on the idea of being able to leave that labyrinth, every night he tried to find an exit, but every door that seemed to lead to the outside world and to his well deserved freedom, ended up being an entrance to another random room. Was the demon preventing him from escaping or was he scared of something or _someone_ breaking into his home?

As usual, Bokuto wandered the confusing corridors in an attempt to entertain himself. He was an energetic person, seeking adventures and being incapable of standing still for more than two seconds, so he was dying of boredom. He already had read three fantasy books he found in the studio (only because they were meant for kids and were 80% illustrations and 20% text) and if nothing changed he was going to become a boring person just like Ushijima, reading those complicated novels and books which would most likely fry his brain. Bokuto cringed at the thought. 

“Hey, What are you doing here?” Bokuto freezed, surprisingly not scared of the sudden question. Akaashi’s voice was overflowing with calmness, as if he was referring to the most delicate being in the whole world. How did he know he was coming? He hadn’t passed by the opened door yet! Wait. An opened door? 

“I’ve never seen a little bird like you around.” 

Bokuto peeked outside, raising an eyebrow at the soft interaction. A little crow-tit was beginning to snuggle in Akaashi's hand, surprisingly seeking comfort against the cold white skin of a demon. It wasn’t until later that many of Bokuto’s questions were answered by the wooden box filled with seeds and dried bugs by Akaashi’s feet. A demon feeding a little birdie, one of the cutest animals Bokuto had seen in his entire life; the scene looked wrong in so many ways, the animal’s appearance was that of a little cotton ball, both of them white as snow and pretty as the orchids growing in the garden. One being innocent as a baby, and the other carrying the heavy guilt of innocent human flesh still being digested inside his stomach. That’s how Bokuto thought of them.

“It’s colder than usual…” Akaashi let his thin pale fingers caress the bird’s little head, softly smiling at the warmthness against his skin and at the beautiful amber eyes that were contemplating him with awe from inside the house. He was right. It was impossible for that demon slayer, a being filled with empathy, to hate someone deeply.

An encounter made possible by coincidence and fate itself turned into a routine; Bokuto wandered the mansion every night, somehow always reaching the door that led to one of the gardens; It was as if the house itself was guiding him there...Bokuto couldn’t look away, couldn’t skip the opportunity to peek at the rare sight of an upper moon taking care of other beings. So far he had seen all kind of birds, nocturnal wild animals looking for a safe place to rest, cute little bats that Akaashi fed with fresh fruits and most recently, the magnificent bird burying its claws in the demon’s bare arm, causing fine threads of blood to end in the red drops falling to the virgin soil, flowing to their inevitable death. 

An _owl._

Bokuto’s favorite animal, the quiet and wild side of nocturnal life. Somehow he had always thought that said spirit represented the quiet performance executed by every demon slayer protecting Japan. Cautious, skillful, _efficient_ ...they shared all those characteristics. 

Bokuto was known in the demon slaying world to be one of the most stubborn men when it came to tolerating demons. He hated them, he’d rather _‘la la la i can’t hear you’ while covering his ears_ out of every encounter than having to listen to the disgusting statement that all demons had to share. He despised them, the mere thought of having to interact with them made him sick and disgusted, and he would probably die feeling that way. But the boy in front of him, kneeling on the floor and petting the wild animal, not pitying his existence but respecting and contemplating it, was not a demon. That was a sad human being that died in the cruel hands of an undeserved fate, wearing the black night sky inside his eyes and being held captive by a pale skin that wasn’t his. All of that was just Bokuto’s theories though. 

“You’re beautiful.” Akaashi whispered to the owl before standing up and moving his arm upwards for it to take flight and leave to look for its dinner. He knew of the other boy’s presence all along, like...he wasn't slick about it. White hair peeking from inside the house? Not suspicious at all. Somehow he liked it, being curiously observed.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ★ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

  
  


One day, when the summer heat that predominated in the main island reached Akaashi, who was peacefully reading in his room only being illuminated by an oil lamp and numerous candles, his body tingled with anticipation. Something was about to happen. The ticklish feeling suddenly turned into anxiety, ending in a faint panic state. Was someone coming? Was a demon going to confront him and play with him? No one was stupid enough to mess with him. 

“Look Akaashi! Look!” Bokuto crashed in Akaashi’s room, the thunder-sounding thud of the sliding door violently opening echoing in the room and making Akaashi look up from the journal laying on his lap. The demon slayer ran up to him, holding a ball of fur in his cupped hands, jumping excitedly and shrieking when he almost dropped the little animal.

_What?_

The word “confused” wasn’t enough to express the way Akaashi was feeling at that exact moment. Since when the invisible wall between them had disappeared? Even though Akaashi was a human in his past life, every day that passed living with the demon slayer reminded him there were so many things he didn’t get to know before ‘dying’. Such as that it wasn’t normal for all humans (especially grownups) to be composed and mature, that old boys can still enjoy books meant for kids and that, naturally, a serious wound takes weeks to heal. 

_meow~_

No way.

“A kitten.” Bokuto looked at Akaashi, nodding eagerly and doing his best to contain all the excitement threatening to overflow from his body. 

“Wait, Where did you find it?” Akaashi asked worriedly, putting the journal aside on the tatami floor and reaching out for the ginger kitten, but with a quick and unnecessary reflex Bokuto moved his hands out of reach, his expression steeped in guilt.

“Bokuto-san you can’t steal the kittens from their mother, she’s probably looking for her right now.” A small and transparent thought passed through Akaashi’s head. _What about Bokuto’s mother?_ Certainly they were people waiting for him, anticipating his return. The life of someone like Bokuto was probably filled with affection, friends, family... _a lover._

Akaashi didn’t want that, _he was making the boy suffer._ What was worse than suffocating with the pain within loneliness? His own inner voice answered for his rational self. _Forcing someone to be with him._ Knowing the other presence in the room wasn’t there because he cared about him, because he enjoyed his company, _because he liked him_. 

“Wait, How do you know it’s a girl?” Bokuto huffed. 

“That’s aiko,” Akaashi’s body acted in pure instinct, taking Bokuto’s hands and forcing him to sit by his side. “The oldest kitten.” Akaashi started to pet aiko, and the sad, faint smile on his face only got bigger once the ginger fur felt warm against his cold touch. Bokuto probably kidnapped the animal from the rose garden, where in daytime the roses were brushed by the summer breeze and blessed with sunlight. Oh to be a free being and bathe with the sun’s rays, dive into the sea and look up to the infinite blue sky…

Days passed, the sun set, the moon rose and Bokuto and Akaashi were starting to spend more time together. Their time was filled with sweet evenings contemplating the blue sky from inside the tea room, where Akaashi opened the doors that led to a koi pond exactly at 5 pm, when sunlight hit the house in the back and the shadows protected Akaashi’s existence, allowing him to enjoy the sight of daytime; filled with Bokuto arriving a little early to the dining room just to catch the demon setting the table and convince him to make him company, just for him to talk about Kuroo and his pupil Hinata for hours. 

“So I decided to introduce him to kuroo!” Bokuto took another bite from one of the ohagi Akaashi had spent the whole day making. He was talking non stop about his friends and at the moment he was pretty bussy explaining how he saved the son of an inventor from a normal demon. “But to my surprise they used to be childhood friends but haven’t seen each other in years!” The boy spoke with his mouth full, but instead of finding it disgusting (how he usually would) the demon just thought it was cute. 

Bokuto insisted on doing a picnic day, so they were currently in one of the empty rooms, the only one that had doors that led to the outside world. Bokuto had broken in his closet looking for the _perfect blanket_ , and he then spent some minutes making sure it was perfectly set on the tatami floor. He even tried making tea, but all the water evaporated while he was talking about his sisters, so it naturally ended in Akaashi preparing the tea for him. 

And he went on and on, and for some reason Akaashi _had_ to know everything regarding the other boys’ relationship, from Bokuto’s naive perspective at least. 

“I don’t like it though! Kuroo is not the same…” Bokuto frowned and pouted like an angry kid would. “He always wants to hang out in Kenma’s house and they sometimes make me get out just so they can talk privately, Can you believe it?!” The demon slayer huffed, but Akaashi only chuckled, getting a confused look from Bokuto. 

“Why are you laughing?”

“I think you don’t get it.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Akaashi was mindlessly playing with his fingers when he sighed. 

“I believe Kuroo-san is in love with Kenma-san.” 

Little moments like those were not healthy, even though they tasted like candy and made him smile, the guilt that attacked him every time his eyes caught Bokuto glancing outside was unbearable. _Why was Bokuto’s katana still hanging from his belt?_

.・。.・゜✭・★・✫・゜・。.

“Aghaasheee.” Akaashi hummed in response, letting the boy know he was paying attention to him, even though his hands were busy transplanting the white orchid that was previously on a pot to the soil.

“How come you are an upper moon if you are like...this.” Both of them were kneeled, not caring about the wet dirt ruining their clothes. The moon shined above them, and Bokuto was then more happy with its presence than he was the first days he started going full ‘nocturnal’. 

“Like what?” Akaashi patted the soil and then looked at Bokuto, slightly frowning with interest. 

“Like this!” Bokuto moved his arms around, apparently pointing at Akaashi’s whole existence. 

“So sweet and caring! You’re a demon just by appearance!” Akaashi remained silent, his eyes wide opened. “You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met!” Akaashi looked at the ground, avoiding the sparkling amber eyes and biting his bottom lip. He thought a day like that was never going to come, he thought he was going to be slayed before receiving a sincere compliment while being a disgusting monster. 

“Oh n- Akaashi! Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry!” 

A person, _Bokuto thought of him as a person_. 

“No Bokuto-san, you didn’t say anything wrong…” Akaasi sighed, beggin to the moon for it to lend him some strength to keep the conversation going. 

“I haven’t eaten any humans in a long time, that’s how I’ve kept my memories.” 

“How is that even possible?” Bokuto grimaced, leading his hand to his chin and holding it, as if he was deep in thought. 

“Master Muzan gives you the upper moon title depending on how strong you become after consuming his blood, the other upper moon have swallowed so much human flesh that their memories were consumed by sin and darkness.” Akaashi inhaled deeply, but he made sure not to make any sound. 

“I’m just an upper moon because Master Muzan likes me.”

“What?!” It felt warm...the way Bokuto seemed extremely interested in everything he had to say, reacting and listening closely. 

“How? Why? I mean you’re really nice and pretty and all, who wouldn’t like you, only dumb people woul- my point is, I thought that Kibutsuji hated nice things???” Akaashi’s heartbeat started to pick a fast pace. What was that feeling? 

“He has known me since I was really young…” He continued, ignoring the anxiousness growing inside him. Bokuto was too close, he practically could feel his warm breath hitting him in the face. He shouldn’t have pointed out the centipede at the flower’s roots earlier, that was what made the demon slayer to get closer. 

Akaashi looked over Bokuto, making sure he was not being boring, but he was met by curious eyes which reflected nothing but interest. 

“I don’t know if you want to hear how I became a demon.” Bokuto seemed to think about it. 

“Is it a sad story?” Akaashi shrugged. 

“Kinda.” 

“Then you don’t have to tell me.“ Bokuto’s curiosity had limits, a thick line was traced where his natural spirit of inquiry ended and the boundaries of the other person began. 

“It’s alright Bokuto-san, if it’s you then I don’t mind.” 

“Really?” Akaashi hummed in response. “My dad was a known botanist, He and my m-” The demon began.

“What’s a botanist?” 

“Someone who studies plants, Bokuto-san.”

“Oh yeah, sure, I knew that.” 

“This house belonged to my parents.” Akaashi side eyed the interior of the house, the corridor was only visible because they had left the door wide open. “As I said before, my dad was a botanist and while working in Tokyo he met Master Muzan, who was then under the false identity of an historian. They teamed up to look for plants only mentioned in old writings and with time they became friends, my father introduced him to my family and we all took a liking to him.” Bokuto’s expecting silence only incited Akaashi to continue. 

“But my father started to suspect something was wrong when Muzan only showed up to assist in the search past 8 pm...Then one day he visited Muzan’s house and the house smelled like death. My father actually thought Muzan was _Golden eagle_ , a serial killer who was famous at the time for killing in plain daylight…” Akaashi felt his skin crawl, after years, he was finally going to voice his hidden past to someone. Tendou would be extremely angry if he found out that Akaashi surrendered to a demon slayer, _a human_ , and not to him, who had been asking for centuries about his past life. 

“As usual, master Muzan came to visit us, but my father confronted him about everything that was bothering him, so master Muzan killed him, then he ate my mother...We used to play with my trains and puzzles all the time.” Akaashi shook his head, suddenly remembering about his old toys, they were probably in his old bedroom, or in the storage room. A sweet breeze brushed past them, making their hair dance and the natural anxious sweat to dry off a bit. Akaashi loved colorful flowers, but the pureness trapped inside the white petals of each flower in that specific garden were in another level of beauty. 

“He went to my room and started talking about this weird red flower, then he looked through my father’s journals and writings, but when he didn’t find anything he just took me to his house and cooked a really nice meal for me...my last meal.” The demon’s mouth watered, and he side eyed Bokuto one more time. Akaashi thought he didn’t deserve all the attention the boy was giving him. He didn’t deserve having someone by his side. Bokuto didn’t deserve the punishment of being with him. 

“What about your parents?” Bokuto was surprisingly serious, his expression made Akaashi gulp. 

“He told me they had to go out and that he was going to look after me for some hours.” 

“I was so fucking stupid back then, even though i was sixteen he played with me as if I was a little kid.” Why was he still talking? He had to stop. 

“When the night reached midnight he forced me to drink his blood, and after that I can only recall the piercing pain tormenting every inch of my body, the burning liquid going down my throat and killing my stomach, turning it into something monstrous, a stomach capable of digesting human flesh and killing the guilt that came with performing such a sin.” Bokuto looked down as well, gritting his teeth and sighing.

Why was Bokuto mad? Did he want him to stop talking? But he couldn’t stop. He had to finish now he had someone listening to him, he didn’t want to be slayed before letting go part of the pain and regret.

“He taught me everything about demons, he told me his story countless times and forced me to kill humans, but when he noticed that i was not giving up on denying my new form, he just decided to quit.”

“I guess he thinks of me as a son…” 

Little by little, second by second, as the night died and the black above them began to fade, silence started to fill the scene, to sneak into Akaashi’s body and suffocate him from the inside. What was Bokuto thinking? Did he regret getting a little closer to him? Akaashi was scared, and the fact that the boy probably wanted to run away more than anything hit him, like pure iron cutting through his flesh, beheading him. 

“Have you ever tried eating something other than...humans?” Bokuto couldn't suppress the grunt that was supposed to be internal, he scolded himself. He shouldn’t have asked such a personal question. 

“It’s ok Bokuto-san.” Akaashi reassured the boy, a faint nervous smile decorating his lips. “Yes I have…” To see the not so hidden guilt inside Bokuto’s eyes allowed butterflies to invade his whole chest, the colorful and foriegn fluttering of their wings making him feel soft tickles.

“The only way for me to survive is by consuming blood and raw meat…” Should he continue? “I starve myself for months, until I can't stand it anymore.” 

Bokuto’s eyebrows furrowed with worry, Were demons capable of feeling such pain? He never thought about it, he had hurt them, destroyed them, he even enjoyed ending them and inflicting pain to them. Was it painful? Akaashi’s body wasn’t like his, but starving, no matter which being suffered it, was the cruelest punishment ever. What would Kuroo think of all of that? He would probably be disappointed with him for being friends with a demon. He probably wouldn't believe him if he told him that demons were capable of feeling normal pains like humans! Which was not fair for Akaashi (only Akaashi mattered to be honest, Muzan and the red haired demon could go suck a dick). 

“In my ‘starving episodes’ hunting animals usually does the trick.” Bokuto’s demeanor deflated, he felt bad for the animals being killed...Wait. He loved meat as well. He was a monster! “But they taste horrible...and sometimes my body rejects the food and I get sick.”

  
  


★

  
  


Life and death, day and night, black and white, life made them that way. 

“What’s wrong Agashee?” 

Both boys sat on the bare tatami of the large tea room. Bokuto had spent the whole evening feeding the kois and trying to name them (he gave up half way through it when he couldn't tell sora and taiyo apart), while Akaashi quietly re-read the worn up diary with a painted rose in its cover, tasting the words and humming every time his favorites phrases echoed inside his head when he read them; the days were passing so fast, it felt like yesterday when his life ended. 

“Nothing Bokuto-san, don't worry.” Akaashi gulped, closing his eyes, later covering his face with his hands and surpassing a grunt, he couldn’t stand it anymore. It hurt like hell.

“Bullshit, What’s wrong?” Bokuto wiped his wet hands on the green yukata he was wearing that day and stood up, side glancing at the white fish with a single red spot on its forehead one last time. The katana hanging from the belt hugging his waist lightly bumped his right leg, caughting the demon’s attention. 

“Akaashi you can tell me everything, I can definitely help!” Bokuto kneeled by his side. “I guess…” Bokuto mumbled the last part as he got closer to him, inspecting his pale, troubled face. 

“I’m at my limit…” Akaashi’s eyes watered, the inevitable was knocking at his door, he was using Bokuto’s company as a way to ignore the pain spreading through his body; Intentionally starving was taking a toll on him, his vision was starting to go blurry and he barely had any energy throughout the day (he made sure to use all of it in preparing the demon slayer’s meals, replying to his questions and contributing to the random conversations the boy started). He was lucky to have him by his side helping him to take care of all his gardens and _friends._

“I’ll be alright Bokuto-san.” Akaashi tried to smile. 

“You’re hungry.” Bokuto said the unspoken fact outloud, and before Akaashi could even reassure him he was more than fine he was shutted by Bokuto’s piercing gaze. _Yellow._

“You should...do it.” 

“Do what?” Akaashi asked quietly, focusing his attention on one flower gracefully falling inside the pond, losing himself in all the fishes curiously surrounding the foriegn thing. 

“Hunt.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pheww this took me longer than I expect it.
> 
> Ok, about the name of the series: So you know how in english the official translation is “Demon slayer” (even though the literal translation for kimetsu no yaiba is ‘demon-slaying blade’) ?
> 
> Well, in spanish (especificaly Spain but they are the ones who distribute the manga to the rest of the spanish speaking countries) the story was officially named “Guardianes de la noche” (Guardians of the night) and everyone was mad???? like everyone hated the name for no reason and I think that's kinda dumb since it’s a pretty name. (there's not a cool way to say demon slayer in spanish btw)


	3. Daylight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before reading you should look up “Nursery rhyme” by Joe Hisaishi, a song from the film “The tale of Princess Kaguya”. It’s a beautiful song which will be mentioned later in the chapter.
> 
> link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PuIsHBm17A

“...Huh?” 

_Hunt?_ Was Bokuto being serious? 

“I mean uhmm, if you’re really hungry you should go hunt animals...” Bokuto awkwardly scratched his nape, looking away in a flustered way. His legs were starting to go numb by the weight of his own body and it felt uncomfortable, but the demon appeared to be doing fine. The night and its wonders were still relatively young, so Akaashi had plenty of time to wander the woods and hunt wild animals; since time seemed to pass slower than usual, dawn shouldn't be a major concern at that moment. 

“But I can’t…” 

“Why not?” 

“I don’t want to kill…” Animals were his friends, Akaashi didn’t think of them as inferior beings, animated objects that one could _own_ . Animals were not rational beings, so they didn’t have the time nor the capability to judge him, to fear him for what he was instead of naturally fearing him for being a foriegn being. He provided food and shelter, and in return he got natural and raw warmthness, _gratitude._ He hated the idea of hurting them for his own benefit. 

“But it hurts, Right?” Akaashi hesitated a bit, and with his usual neutral expression slowly nodded. 

“It’s just...natural,” Bokuto began to trace random doodles in the wet dirt, unconsciously trying to distract himself from the tension predominating and taking over the whole garden. His voice was so loud and lively, the contrast between them extremely notorious. “Surviving I mean”

Why did he have to survive? Akaashi didn’t enjoy being alive anymore. 

“It’s still pretty early,” Bokuto stood up, dusting his knees and his butt, taking a deep breath and tasting the natural scent of the broad night. “Go.”

  
  


And so Akaashi obeyed the human. He looked back to his house, not missing the worried look Bokuto was giving him, standing by the daisies, but the demon slayer’s attention was taken away from him the second a cat appeared and rubbed his furry body against his legs. When he got out of the boy’s field of view, he finally felt the burning pain threatening to consume and force his stomach to digest itself. Suddenly Akaashi didn’t know rationality, like an animal, _like a tiger_ , his eyes were blinded by hunger. He was what he was meant to be, a reckless demon with nothing but killing in his head.

  
  


✦

  
  


Bokuto was sitting on a metal chair that was inside the beautiful garden kiosk, where Akaashi kept his gardening tools and little houses with blankets for wild animals to rest. He had his arms crossed and his muscles completely relaxed, as he was swinging between being awake and a dream-like state, but he was a demon slayer, one couldn’t rest when protecting the night was their permanent duty. Bokuto woke up at the sound of faint footsteps approaching the house, and even before he opened his eyes his hand had already found his way to his weapon, ready to grab the handle and unsheath his katana. 

There he was, a demon. Akaashi walked heavily and seemed to be on the verge of tears, close to breaking down. What was that creature? So delicate and sensitive, who felt other being’s pain and hated himself for just existing. 

“Bokuto-san…” Akaashi’s face inevitably wrinkled when he finally sobbed, he squinted his eyes, doing his best not to close them. He wanted to see the boy one last time before he ran away from him, _he knew_ , with every second that passed he found himself closer to his old friend, _loneliness._ He hated it, the piercing smell of death's scent, salt, iron, _blood_. Virgin, pure blood was rapidly drying against his skin, covering part of his face and hands.

“Akaashi…” At the sight Bokuto ran towards him, and without thinking twice, he started to wipe the blood off his pale face with the sleeve of his haori. 

_Why?_ Akaashi asked himself. Why was the boy doing that? It was so easy, _so simple_ , a perfect plan in which the demon slayer took advantage of his current weakness, his mundane and selfish desire of human company. Bokuto only had to pretend to care, holding him and making sure he stayed outside long enough for him to perish under the inevitable dawn, but the boy didn’t even think about that possibility. They looked at each other for what felt like hours, Bokuto holding akaashi by his elbows, losing himself in the paradox trapped inside the emptiness of his full calypso eyes. Empty like a fragile bubble, full with a thick mix of feelings and memories like an ocean _._ As in Akaashi...His blurry vision didn’t stop him from admiring with awe the amber surrounding Bokuto’s pupils, looking sweet as their honey color and forcing him into a deep trance.

"Lets go." Bokuto led Akaashi inside the house, to what he assumed was his room, just in time to miss the landscape of the sun rising from his sleep. The demon slayer sat him on the bed, admiring for just some seconds his tired expression, then going outside to get a small barrel with rain water. With a piece of cloth Bokuto cleaned his face and hands, doing his best to be gentle, he didn't want to startle the demon out of the weird state he was trapped in. His tongue was itching though, he wanted so bad to talk and end the suffocating silence. After twenty whole minutes of the two of them just sitting on the bed and Bokuto having an intense glaring contest with the dying roses by his side, he gave up, clearing his throat to catch Akaashi’s attention. 

“You know...I’m not usually like this,” Akaashi glanced at him, but quickly looked away. “I’ve never taken care of someone.” Bokuto was used _of being taken care of_ , not the other way around. Having two older sisters and an amazing bro (cool senpais, senseis and sadly some kouhais as well) made him a spoiled mess. He didn’t know how to deal with his emotions by himself, and since they traveled together, Kuroo usually took care of the basic adult stuff.

“My friends often tell me that I’m kinda self- centered, that I’m dramatic and hard to handle.” Bokuto kept talking, not knowing his voice was enough to calm the demon’s natural anxiousness. “But with you it’s different, you don’t run away from me, you don’t roll your eyes when I talk too much nor when I interrupt you…” 

_Hot_ , Akaashi’s blood felt hot, and he was sure he was imagining it, his brain was placing the memory of a dead sensation in the current context; _His mind was playing tricks on him._

The minutes passed, and after half an hour Akaashi had already forgiven himself for not replying to the boy’s confession. He was enjoying being alive, the sound of Bokuto's breathing, his steady heartbeat and the softness of his presence...

“Hey, Aghashi…” Akaashi hummed, unconsciously leaning a little on Bokuto. “Can demons sleep?” Akaashi exhaled, chuckling a bit. He was growing way too close to that human. 

  
  
  
  


✦

  
  
  
  


Time didn’t exist inside the _‘Akaashi residence’_ , Bokuto opened his eyes whenever his body felt fully rested, and by the time he couldn't keep them open anymore, he found himself confused with how many days he had been trapped there. 

All they did was hang out and talk. Bokuto was running out of stories about his adventures, where his friends and him were the main characters killing the evil beings that weren’t _by any means_ like Akaashi, something that Bokuto made sure to add every time he acted with his katana the last part of the story where he beheaded the demon. As in Akaashi, when he felt like sharing he just talked about animals and flowers, he liked explaining more than once why animals behaved the way they did, and repeating himself was totally worth it if it meant Bokuto would ask countless questions.

It felt natural, the two of them just coexisting in an empty space, where nothing else mattered. Death didn’t exist there, 

_Why was Bokuto so comfortable with ignoring his duty?_

Akaashi delicately closed the book in his hands, sighing at the mesmerizing view of Bokuto laying on his futon, breathing calmly after snoring for hours. His white hair remained messy as always, and somehow it looked as his lips were peacefully smiling; The demon slayer was exhausted after another day of playing and helping in the gardens, he was still healing after all. 

“I’m sorry.” Akaashi carefully opened the bottoms of Bokuto’s uniform, passing a hand on the bandages the boy had changed himself that afternoon. The demon slayer probably knew already about him silently curing his wounds while he slept, at the end of the day, it was kinda suspicious not feeling any pain at all. 

After buttoning the uniform, his calypso eyes drifted to the scenery out the window, where the dying darkness welcomed the warm dawn, and before the oranges, red, pinks and soft purples could even be seen by him, he stood up and passed by the table, closing his fingers in the flame of the only candle illuminating the room, killing the unnatural light and leaving the magical feeling of the blue hour lingering a little longer. 

It was finally _that date_. A random summer day, not different from the others for anyone you asked.

  
  
  
  


.

.

.

  
  
  
  
  


Bokuto woke up just in time for breakfast, cold sweat covering every inch of his body. The sensations and images of a deep nightmare flashed through his dizzy head, _people being killed in front of him, bodies being ripped apart by cold pale hands, demons chewing innocent flesh. Why couldn't he move? Why did his arms feel tied behind his back? Once every human in the crowd had been killed and Bokuto’s wrists felt destroyed by the rope tightly embracing them and by all the struggle he was suffering trying to break free, he realized there was no rope. The boy contemplated his hands covered in blood, and suddenly the taste of iron spreaded inside his mouth._

_Indifference was stronger than evil._

He ran to the dining room, not caring about wiping the drool off his face before violently opening the sliding doors. Akaashi jumped on his seat, where he patiently waited for him to wake up. 

“Good morning.” Akaashi greeted him, softly smiling, but the expression disappeared from his face when the demon slayer carelessly sat on the cushion, laying his elbows on the table and passing both of his hands on his face; The boy was imperceptibly trembling. 

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi’s face couldn’t talk for him, he was worried and confused, but unless he did not voice his concern, they would probably end up being trapped inside a never ending problem. “Are you alright?” Thankfully (and unsurprisingly), it seemed as if Bokuto wanted to talk about it.

“I need to leave.” Bokuto answered bluntly, and Akaashi suddenly found himself short on air, causing his breath to stop and his chest to ache. The voice breaking through the calm of that morning made the demon’s skin crawl, they were back to the first day, when Bokuto’s gaze pierced his existence with the intense hate and repulsion one could feel towards the sin he was. 

_Wait a minute_.

He was not angry, he was...scared. 

“I-You- Yes…” Akaashi didn’t usually stutter, he was someone who always took his time to think before talking. “I know.” 

“I need to leave!” Akaashi almost flinched, but the cold fear of the incoming loneliness that awaited him forbiddened him of reacting accordingly to the situation. Was it possible for him to fear Bokuto? He was a demon slayer after all. He could hurt him. His katana was one of the only things that could end his existence. _Was Akaashi scared of pain?_

“There are people dying out there, and I- I- I’m just here!” Bokuto’s voice cracked and Akaashi remained silent, demanding his weak brain to process the moment, the inevitable scene. He didn’t ask to be born with such an expression, one that didn’t show the mess roaming inside his mind, there was nothing he could have done to prevent the other boy from taking his silence as an offensive response. 

“You would never get it! What if someone was killed last night while I slept? What if someone is going to get killed tonight?” Bokuto grunted, and Akaashi thought he was mad at him, for snatching his right of freedom from his calloused hands. “People are fragile, they die Akaashi!” 

“Demons wouldn’t get it!” Bokuto stood up and stormed out of the room, not closing the door behind him and not thinking about the short yet heavy words that slipped from his mouth. 

Once the demon slayer got to the main garden he exhaled all the air he had kept inside his lungs; From there he could see the city, looking so tiny and so far away… Akaashi must’ve cursed him, because he felt as if there was a strong force keeping him there, that and the fact there was some sort of barrier surrounding the property, he had already tried numerous times to leave. He literally had no choice but to stay there. 

Akaashi was the problem there...Although Bokuto knew that, he refused to see the demon under a negative light. He was an accomplice of that whole situation, Why hadn't he killed the demon? If he did he was going to be the first pillar of that generation to defeat an upper moon, earning respect from everyone and drowning in validation. But that was not going to happen, _it was like killing a human being_. Bokuto was being irrational, he was filled with greediness, the first time he enjoyed the demon’s company was the beginning of his betrayal. What would Kuroo think? Hinata? His sisters? He was behaving like a total child, choosing his own satisfaction over his duty. 

_Loneliness must hurt like hell._

  
  
  
  


✦

.

.

.

  
  
  
  


The broidering hoop felt heavy on his grip, so Akaashi only held it tighter. It was probably 1 pm, so he had to wait some hours to open the doors. 

_What did he do to deserve that?_

The room felt cold, and for the first time the vanilla scent surrounding him tasted bittersweet. His hands weren’t working, the roses embroidered in a fine red thread looked hideous to his eyes, not even near the perfection his mother achieved with her works.

_It was always his fault._

He lacked what it took to create happiness and comfort. He was worthless, he was evil, he was _a demon_. Before even thinking about it, Akaashi caught himself crying. Two beautiful picture frames layed on the table... his parents' eyes were watching after him on that melancholic day, making him company.

_He was disgustingly selfish._

In an attempt to contain the emotional pain, Akaashi gritted his teeth. He couldn’t avoid the need of releasing said feeling, he couldn't help it; The broidering hoop broke in half, the cloth was ripped, perishing under the demon's strength. 

_What was he doing?_

His self-deprecating thoughts came to an end thanks to the strong knocking echoing in the tea room, Akaashi looked at the portraits of his parents before wiping the tears off his face. 

“Yes?” 

Bokuto opened the door, peeking a little and that being enough for his sad puppy eyes and his little pout to be seen.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you…” The boy didn’t even wait for an invitation, he just approached Akaashi with short shy steps. 

“Are you...Are you ok?” Bokuto shaked his head, never looking at him. To be fair, Akaashi had already noticed how easily Bokuto’s mood wavered, like that time when he was feeling gloomy because he learned from him that butterflies don’t live long, but just ten minutes after that conversation he was entertaining the kittens, singing at the top of his lungs a nursery rhyme the demon didn’t recognize. He cried easily, he got mad easily, he _laughed_ easily, and Akaashi loved that. 

But that was a really notorious contrast, even for Bokuto. 

“I’m really sad…” 

Akaashi thought about it for a second and decided to listen to his heart. He patted the cushion next to him, inviting the boy to take a seat, to which Bokuto imprudently let himself fall on it, looking at his lap and fidgeting with his fingers. Before Akaashi could even say anything, the boy interrupted him. 

“No! I don’t deserve your time and attention!”

Akaashi was confused, and there was nothing he hated more than being confused. 

“Wha-”

“It was my fault, OK?!” Both boys frowned, each for entirely different reasons. 

“Bokuto-san, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Bokuto grunted and crossed his arms on the table, dramatically resting his forehead against them, hiding his face. After some time of just Akaashi hesitating between keeping the conversation going or not, the boy curiously peeked at the destroyed work on the floor, turning his head just enough for his face to be seen.

“Why did you do that?” 

“It looked ugly…” Bokuto was about to comment something about that being bullshit, but Akaashi decided he was not in the mood for receiving empty compliments. 

“Today is the anniversary of my parents’ death.” He muttered, and Bokuto immediately closed his mouth shut. “I…” Bokuto began to panic, opening his mouth like he was ready to talk, but never saying anything. Akaashi couldn’t stand looking at him struggling to find the words he wanted to use to express how he pitied him.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi placed a cold hand on top of Bokuto’s warm one. “It’s fine.” Was it really fine? All of that felt wrong. Bokuto shouldn’t be the one feeling guilty, he literally was being held captive by an upper moon who was, objectively, using him for curing his deathly loneliness. Akaashi felt he should be the one feeling like that, in fact, he should be kneeling and begging for forgiveness, finally doing what was right and letting him go.

“You didn’t deserve to be yelled at!” Bokuto finally spoke. “I shouldn't have done that! Not today at least...” Akaashi was unconsciously counting the minutes until he could open the doors, he needed a natural distraction, being with the boy was overwhelming when they weren’t doing anything besides talking. 

“It’s fine Bokuto-san, you didn’t know what day it was.” The oil lamp and the candles illuminated the room with golden warmthness. 

“I shouldn’t yell at people in general…” The boy mumbled, and still in the same position he began to tap the table with his finger out of anxiousness. He looked around the room, the tea pot over the _furo_ (the furnace) had been recently polished and what the only _kakejiku_ (hanging scroll) in the wall said was still a mystery to him; The delicate bamboo windows had been covered with wooden boards and the old tatami looked good as new. 

“What is that?” Akaashi looked at what Bokuto was pointing at. _Ah, that._

“This is my mother’s diary,” Akaashi picked the thick book on the table up, unnecessary inspecting the cover. Brown leather and embedded in the center, a piece of paper with a single rose painted in oil with thin glass on top, protecting it. The demon smiled a little at Bokuto’s fascinated eyes. “I usually read her poems and stories when I miss her, it takes me back to when she sang to me.” Bokuto made an ‘o’ with his mouth, arching an eyebrow and asking without having to say anything. 

“...”

“...”

“Want me to read something for you?”

“Yes! Yes!,” Bokuto clapped excitedly, crossing his legs and eagerly nodding, which indicated he was all ears. “Please!”

_What did Akaashi do to enjoy such a blessing?_

Akaashi relaxed his tense muscles and opened the book in his hands, looking through the delicate pages for the big tittle _'Where fireflies are born.'_

“I’ll read you my favorite story.”

“What is it about?” 

The two beings enjoyed the next three hours picturing the sceneries and characters of a dead imagination; Akaashi read with calm and a hint of excitement, while Bokuto interrupted him to add comments or ask questions about the plot. Before noticing, they had already enjoyed all the short stories, and don’t tell Bokuto, but Akaashi had saved some stories and all the poems to himself. 

“What other things do you do on this day?” 

"Uhmm…" The demon tapped his chin. 

“I usually just read, make flower crowns, look through my father's work and sing a little.” Akaashi listed the activities, slightly embarrassed. His heart missed a beat when Bokuto suddenly jumped out of his seat on the floor, running out of the room and leaving poor Akaashi perplexed. Outside the birds were chirping, the cicadas complained about their recent awakening and the wind whistled what sounded like a melody out of tune. A perfect summer day. 

“Are these enough?” After twenty minutes Bokuto broke into the room, panting and covered in sweat, holding in his arms countless, freshly cut, dandelions. 

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked in disbelief, leaving the diary aside and opening his arms when Bokuto approached and dropped all the flowers on the floor, only managing to catch a few.

“When I was really little I used to make dandelion crowns with my sisters!” He explained, taking a seat, trying not to smush the flowers; The boy picked some dandelions, inspecting the stems and starting to connect them together, just how his older sisters taught him. 

“I think these are way too much…” 

“Yeah...But we can make some bracelets too!” Akaashi’s anxiousness ceased, leaving space for a pleasant, warm feeling to fill him entirely. 

They made a lot of crowns and some bracelets, in the end, both wore flowers all over them. Bokuto’s wrists were not even visible anymore, and the yellow color of the flowers standed out in contrast with his white hair.

“Ughh No!” Bokuto ripped the flowers appart for the nth time. He finally gave up on trying to make a ring with the flowers, and Akaashi chuckled a bit at his pout. 

“Hey! Don’t make fun of me!” Bokuto throwed the destroyed dandelions at him, and instead of finding the gesture rude, the demon just laughed louder. 

“What?” With the smile still on his face, Akaashi raised an eyebrow at Bokuto’s fascinated eyes. 

“I’ve never seen you laugh before!” The demon slayer smiled big, and now both of them looked dumb, smiling like idiots covered in way too many dandelion crowns and bracelets. 

“You know, aghashii.” 

“Uhmm?” Akaashi got up and opened the doors, inhaling deep when the afternoon breeze collided softly with him.

“I really like spending time with you.” 

Akaashi didn’t move, didn’t turn around and looked back. He just sighed, following with his eyes one of the koi swimming inside the pond. Was that a dream? He wondered if the human was actually being serious, or Was he pretending to like him? Who would enjoy a demon’s company? The demon returned, just in time to catch Bokuto passing the pages of his mother’s diary rather carelessly. 

“Bokuto-san!” Akaashi snatched the book out of his hands, hugging it against his chest.

“I’m sorry!” Bokuto hid his hands behind his back, looking guilty as a little child who was caught being naughty. 

“It’s fine, just be careful with things that look fragile.” The demon took a seat, leaving the diary on the floor and rearranging the flowers on his head. How he longed to enjoy the day’s peak, when the sun shone over the land and burned one’s skin. 

“Is it time for singing?”

“What?” Akaashi looked away from the garden outside, paying attention to the demon slayer, who had already forgotten about being scolded. 

“Sing something for me.” Bokuto was someone who was completely comfortable with physical interaction, so before he could even think about it, he was already lying on the floor, his head resting on Akaashi’s lap, the yellow flowers losing some petals and them dying on the demon’s kimono. 

“Uhh… Sing?”

“Yes.” Bokuto looked up, locking eyes with the demon and begging with just his natural gleam. Akaashi’s gaze drifted up, to the ceiling. He searched through his old memories, finding what it used to be his favorite song growing up, one that made him calm. He cleared his throat and looked down, smiling at the boy. _Was that relationship normal?_

_Maware, maware, mawareyo~_

_Mizu kuruma maware~_

_Mawatte ohi-san yonde koi~_

  
His singing voice reflected all he was. Calm, serene, _pretty_.

_Tori, mushi, kemono, kusaki, hana~_

_Saite minotte chitta to te~_

_Umarete sodatte shinda to te~_

Akaashi’s hand acted on his own, finding its way to Bokuto’s hair. He began stroking his hair, brushing the white locks and playing with them, unintentionally removing the flowers. _How did the boy manage to feel so warm?_ His cold hand passed by his forehead, and instead of flinching away, Bokuto closed his eyes and hummed with satisfaction, smiling big. 

_Kaze ga fuki, ame ga furi~_

_Mizuguruma mawari~_

_Tengurii inochi ga yomigaeru~_

_Tengurii inochi ga yomigaeru~_

Akaashi finished, making the final syllable last a little longer, the note so sweet that Bokuto had to _purr_ while tasting it. Bokuto incorporated in a second, sitting beside him and without a hint of embarrassment looking straight into his soul, he had entered through his black thin pupils, and deep inside of him the light of his eyes reached his chest. 

“...Bokut-sa-” Bokuto didn’t let him finish, he killed the distance, closing the gap between them and pressing their lips together. They stayed like that for some seconds, both of them not knowing what to do, how to proceed. Bokuto was the one who drifted away, an expectating blush coloring his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to kiss!” If Akaashi could, he would be red as a poppy, he felt like throwing up his heart, which was being bratty and behaving recklessly. “That was actually my first kiss, I’m not like Kuroo who loves romance and all that cheesy stuff,” _Wow,_ _Bokuto couldn’t stay silent for more than 2 minutes._ “Like, he had his first kiss when he was like twelve, I didn’t have time for that! I wasn’t born a pillar, while Kuroo practiced his kissing I was training!” Bokuto was acting like he didn’t kiss an actual demon seconds ago.

“But you know, I don’t think I suc-” Akaashi suppressed a grunt and decided to just go with it, so he grabbed Bokuto by the collar of his haori, and pulled him close, making their mouths collide and his gibberish to stop.

It was awkward, Akaashi had never kissed anyone before, his lips felt dry and every heartbeat pounded against his eardrums, distracting him from the sensation. The demon closed his eyes and tried to move his lips, kinda imitating the way his parents used to kiss, but Bokuto’s hands suddenly finding their way up his neck made him moan, open his mouth, and that was all it took for the demon slayer to force his tongue inside. The kiss tasted like green tea, and Akaashi hadn’t realized how much he had missed it; both of them were now moving their lips in a messy dance, saliva leaking from the corner of Bokuto’s mouth and the room’s temperature rising. 

The lack of oxygen was making them dizzy and their chests to ache, but Akaashi wasn’t planning on stopping soon; He was now violently demanding a deeper touch, his hands in the boy’s broad shoulders and arousal appearing in the shape of pleasant shivering. But Bokuto abruptly ended the kiss when he tasted _salt._

“Why are yoU CRYING?” Bokuto had _‘Did i do something wrong?! Help. I'm panicking.’_ written all over his face, and he was (attractively) panting. 

Dusk was just starting to reign over the sky, the sun’s rays were faint and gold was being poured all over the flowers and pond. If Akaashi happened to go outside in that instant, he would definitely face a beautiful death, an ending to his sin... but for the first time in years, the demon felt he didn’t need to be under the day sky to meet the sun. 

“Bokuto-san…” Akaashi led his right hand to Bokuto’s face, and affectionately caressed his cheek.

“Ye-Yeah?”

_“You’re the closest I’ve been to daylight.”_

  
  
  


_._

  
  


_._

  
  


_._

  
  
  


That was just the beginning of _them_. The days playing with animals were still there, but now Akaashi spent every minute of the day thinking of a new story to tell Bokuto before sleeping. Even after that day, they hadn’t dared to talk about the kiss, both beings quietly agreed to let time flow, let the unexisting destiny decide what was going to happen. 

“Aghashee…” There was something cute in the way Bokuto said his name. 

“Uhmm?” They were in Bokuto’s room, they had just finished a story about an immortal owl _(Bokuto’s idea)_ , and the human was ready to sleep, covered with a thick, blue blanket. 

“Don’t you feel...cold?” Akaashi looked outside the window, it was a fact that the upcoming autumn was making the nights more and more colder, so he just mindlessly nodded. 

“Really? I’ve noticed your skin is pretty cold,” Bokuto yawned, stretching his arms and snuggling in his bed. “Do you want a hug?” 

_What?_

“Come here!” Bokuto, still laying on the futon, opened his arms big. “I love hugs!” Akaashi hesitated a little, how long had it been since he hugged someone? Animals usually don’t like hugs for the natural fear of feeling vulnerable, and the _shiba inu_ who used to live with him was too energetic to stay still for more than 10 seconds. What if he was too skinny and it didn’t feel good? What if the boy regretted it after? But, _How could someone say no to a person like Bokuto Koutaro?_

Akaashi, without standing up, crawled until he was kneeling in front of him, but he was caught off guard when Bokuto pulled him down, embracing him between his strong arms and his natural warmth. Their chests were pressed together, and the human’s hot breath brushed the demon’s cheeks. 

“Wait Bokuto-san, I can’t breath.” The boy didn’t listen, only tightened the hug. 

They hugged for a long time, and Akaashi was too distracted with the boy’s natural scent that he couldn't tell. Bokuto let go after yawning for the third time, and naturally both of them ended up laying on their backs, their bodies sticking out from both sides of the futon but Bokuto keeping all the blanket for himself. Not like it mattered for Akaashi though. 

“Would you like to cuddle with me?” Bokuto asked. He wasn’t expecting him to talk, since his breathing was steady and his heartbeat was calm, he actually thought the boy was fast asleep. The room remained dark, feeling empty without the moonlight that usually illuminated the room; the new moon gave Akaashi hope.

He nodded sheepishly, and when he looked at the boy, he was met by vibrant amber that seemed to shine. 

“Yay!” Bokuto beamed. “I usually cuddle with Kuroo, you know, my best friend.” An excited delicate blush made his appearance even more cute for the demon. 

“Yes Bokuto-san, I know who he is, you talk about him all the time.” He didn’t mean to sound jealous, but he was sorta drunk with the pleasant atmosphere surrounding them, so he had little control over himself. Thank god that the boy liked to play dumb sometimes. 

“Yeah, yeah, him! I like hugs and cuddles, and it’s not weird to do it with the people you love, even though Kenma says it is weird but I- Wait a minute! Maybe Kenma is just jealous! Right Aghashi?!” Without a warning Bokuto shifted to his right, so he could face him, and when the demon did the same he pulled him closer. Akaashi’s face ended resting between the boy’s neck and shoulder. He was so close and the scent coming from his skin was so intense... wet dirt, toasted seeds and _toasted skin_ , it all reminded him of all the hours the human was spending helping with the gardens. His hand was grasping him by the hip...Akaashi was a lost cause. 

“Yes Bokuto-san...” Bokuto hummed, pleased with the affection. Who would’ve thought? The one and only Bokuto Koutaro finding someone willing to put up with him. He couldn’t believe it, all those mean people that had told him he was going to be alone for the rest of his life could go die! Well not die...but the boy didn’t like them.

.

  
  


The next day Akaashi was in a very good mood, he woke up early to inspect the food Konoha had left in the kitchen, and cooked a heavy, delicious breakfast for the human. 

“Look, Akaashi, look!” With his tongue between his teeth, Bokuto made sure the bamboo buried in the soil were in place. He unsheathed his katana, and (without meaning it) smiled attractively at Akaashi, who was deep inside the tea room, in one corner with a thick blanket covering most of his body, protecting him from daylight. 

The demon slayer took two steps back, unnecessarily squinting his eyes and in a second cut the bamboo in a diagonal line, the _remains_ of the _head_ fell inside the pond, floating and caughting the kois’ attention. 

“Hey, hey , hey!” Akaashi calmy clapped, smiling peacefully. 

“I’m the best!

  
  
  
  
  


✦

  
  
  
  
  


_“You need to let it go.” His mother told him one day, when the delicate pigeon they were taking care of fully recovered. Its broken wing was ready to help it finally take flight and never look back. Mother and son were sitting on a cozy blanket, being protected from the sun’s presence by the kiosk’s roof; the woman gently placed the embroidery hoop on the floor, changing her position so she could face his son. Her features were delicate, fair skin incapable of blushing, night-coloured long hair loosely hugged by a blue hair tie and a calm expression, just like Akaashi’s._

_“But I’m going to miss it.” Little Keiji pet the pigeon’s head, hugging it against his chest._

_“And it probably misses flying freely in the sky, being around other pigeons... Do you love it?”_

_Did he love Bokuto as a person, as an individual with a personality, or was he in love with the idea of having someone by his side?_

_“Yes, it is my friend.”_

_“Then you should let it go.” Yua smiled at the boy, leading a hand to his face, caressing his cheek with affection._

_“It outgrew you, it doesn’t need you anymore.”_

_Let go Keiji_. 

  
  


Akaashi gasped, abruptly sitting and covering his mouth. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and the confusion blinding all his senses was unbearable. Demons couldn’t sleep, demons couldn’t _dream_. What was that? He had just closed his eyes for a second and the images of the memory struck him like pure lighting. 

He looked at Bokuto, who peacefully slept, wearing a soft smile.

No, Akaashi’s love for that human was personal, he couldn’t picture him loving, _needing_ someone different. He had saved hundreds of humans, and he always opened the doors of his house when they awoke, setting all of them free. No one had caught his attention like that demon slayer had. _Why?_ Because he didn’t seem to fear him. He had met pillars before, some of them were cocky, egocentric, they felt they were better than everyone, but they always ended up trembling like new born calves when they found themselves inside his labyrinth, _even when he tried to softly talk with them._

Akaashi pushed the nightmare to the back of his head, until both of them were sitting in the same tea room, where Bokuto had insisted to have breakfast for some reason. Bokuto was once again talking non stop about _something_ , the demon actually didn’t know what he was rambling about, so he just nodded now and then to not come off as rude. _There was no way in hell he could ignore the heavy guilt inside of him._

“So we ended up being scolded by the headmaster! But it wasn’t even our fault! Just because we sometimes mess things up doesn’t mean we do it all the time! Although...the old lady being mad at us was Kuroo’s fault, but you know he can’t help it! He likes being _mischievous_. Yeah, that’s a word Ushijima taught me for some reason, and Oikawa and one of the Miya twins, I can never tell them apart by the way, were making fun of us! But hehe headmaster told them to shut up.“ Bokuto giggled, taking a sip of his tea. 

“You need to go.” Akaashi managed to mutter.

Bokuto choked with his drink, spitting it on the table, on his breakfast and on one of the demon’s books. The demon hurried and began to palm him on the back while the boy was almost coughing his lungs out. 

“Bokuto-san, Are you alright?!”

_So dramatic._

“Aghasheeeee,” Bokuto cried. “Please don’t leave me!” 

Akaashi passed the boy a napkin. 

“I was thinking…” He sighed, “You’re stuck in here, you have work to do and all your friends are probably dead worried about you.” _He couldn’t keep doing that._ But surprisingly, instead of reacting dramatically or like a child, the human got legitimely serious, calming his energetic eyes and keeping his body still. 

“How come you never asked me anything?” Akaashi sobbed, slightly shaking his head and inhaling deeply, trying to calm his nerves and swallow the incoming tears. The boy looked at him, his big black pupils contracting when he met his demon eyes. _Was he reading the characters in them? Was he looking at his own reflection?_ Akaashi didn’t know.

“Bokuto-san?” He asked, almost choking with the name, it always tasted strong, like a lemonade made with the biggest lemons growing in the healthiest tree.

“I figured you were lonely.”

“And that was a good reason for you to stay?” Akaashi looked away. “What were you thinking?” Yeah, Bokuto grew up hearing that question all the time, so it didn’t offend him in the slightest. 

“How can you pity a demon? It makes no sense!” Akaashi grasped the cloth of his kimono tightly, distracting his sad train of thoughts with the action, preventing it from rising the speed. But his mind went blank when the boy spoke again, white noise _blinding_ his ears. 

“From the moment I saw you holding that crowtit, I knew I had to do something…” Bokuto hurried before the demon could even reply. “I can smell it.” 

“Huh?” 

“I know you haven’t eaten more than seven humans, and with time I learned you still cry over those deaths, What was I supposed to do?” Bokuto didn’t let him speak, but that was alright, he probably couldn’t formulate a coherent sentence in that state anyway. 

“To be honest I was just curious about how demons actually are, how they think...But that was in the beginning! I haven’t even learned a single thing about demons! Isn’t that crazy?” For the first three days there, Bokuto legitimately thought he was being the smartest (luckiest) pillar, like, he was in the house of an upper moon! Even if their job was all about demons, they knew little to nothing about them, Why were they reproducing at such an alarming pace? Did they have a bigger purpose? Where was Muzan hiding? Sure hell the demon corps didn’t know the answer to any of those questions. Bokuto thought he could be the one to unveil those mysteries, so he could show everyone he was the best (and to help stop kibutsuji of course).

Bokuto wore his warmest smile at Akaashi’s confused face.

“Well, you don’t actually behave like one, you are like a human!” Akaashi's breathing stopped along with his heart. “A really good human at least.” 

“I actually wanna see Kuroo again…” Bokuto shrugged and continued eating his breakfast. “So as I was saying...wait, What was I talking about again? Oh! So Oikawa’s mentor, you know Urokodaki-san, almost beheaded us! We were forbidden to do pranks since then, Doesn’t that sucks?”

  
  


✦

  
  
  


Communication was difficult between them, Akaashi never knew what the boy was thinking. His social skills had always been terrible, so even if they were ‘close’, it was hard for him to tell. Bokuto took off the blue yukata he was wearing that day, and took his time putting in his dark uniform. _So he’s leaving…_ Akaashi turned around and wandered the labyrinth for a while, not thinking about anything in particular. _Bullshit_ , his mind was filled with sadness and even if the human was still in the house it already felt way too quiet. 

“-kaashi, Aghaasee!” The voice got closer by the second, and when Bokuto opened the door of his father’s office and smiled brightly, Akaashi didn’t know what to do. 

“I’ve been looking for you for hours!” The demon nodded, taking the roses inside the only pot on the desk and pretending to inspect them. But Bokuto never made things easy did he? The boy walked to where he was sitting, and without a warning he bent until their eyes met and their breaths collided. He closed the gap, leading the messy kiss, but never hurrying it. He savored it, letting the demon take his time before surrendering and opening his mouth. 

“I’ll be leaving now.” Akaashi didn’t reply, only nodded again, snapping his fingers and stopping the spell over his house for just a moment. 

“Did you open the front door?!” Bokuto asked with a hint of fascination, and Akaashi nodded once again. 

“Good bye then!” Why did the boy seem so happy? Something broke inside the demon’s chest, but the sensation lingering in his lips made the pain feel _good._ The boy had turned him into a _masochist_. Bokuto ran out the room, and before leaving he waved at him. 

“See you!” 

_See you?_

  
  
  
  
  


✦

  
  
  
  
  
  


Bokuto hurried down the street, humming happily and waving at all the people who greeted him. He was known in the area, people either loved him or hated him, but sadly he couldn't actually tell them apart. He reached Kenma’s house, praying his friend was there and not on a mission far from the city. 

Bokuto knocked at the door three times, whistling with nervous expectation; It was 2 pm, and the day felt hot, even more inside all the layers he was wearing. Kenma opened the door, and the first thing he did was flinch, open his eyes wide and gasp. 

“Hey!” Bokuto tried to smile, but he remember every detail of the last time they met, a stupid argument fueled by his own lack of patience. But to be fair, he didn’t know about Kenma’s feelings back then.

Kenma blinked a few times, quickly looking at both sides of the street. “I need to sleep…”

Bokuto passed a hand on his nape, goosebumps attacking him when the cold sweat covering his palm touched the back of his hot neck, damn the summer sky was lacking some clouds. “Is Kuroo inside?” He tried to peek, taking a step inside the house and bumping his shoulder against the shorter boy. 

“No get out, you’re not real!” Kenma used all the strength in his body to push him out, but he only managed to force the demon slayer to take two short steps back. Bokuto frowned, kinda confused. What was he talking about? _Kenma should really rest, not sleeping for days was taking a toll on him._

“I really want to see Kuroo!” He tried to get inside once again, after two whole months he was going to see his best friend, he couldn’t wait another second!

“PLEASE STOP, IT HURTS.” Kenma weakly hit him in the chest, tears starting to flow out of his tired eyes; his nose, cheeks and eyes were colored with a faint redness and his appearance was sad...messy, greasy hair, deep dark circles and loose clothes the other boy assumed weren’t his, but Kuroo’s. Bokuto was definitely taken aback, that was the second time, in all the years he had known the boy, he had witnessed him losing his composure, usually he was grumpy, timid and calm. “I’m sorry Bokuto for yelling at you that day...please forgive me.” Kenma started sobbing inconsolably, like a little kid, with his hands tightly grasping Bokuto’s haori.

“Who was it Ke-” Kuroo showed up at last, talking in a hoarse, breathy voice. Bokuto suddenly felt like crying. If kenma’s appearance made him depressed, Kuroo’s was killing his heart with pain. His hair was messier than usual, the dark circles and his swollen eyes only indicated he had been crying for days, _weeks,_ his beard hadn't been shaved and he was wearing old clothes, covered with dirt and dark stains. The strong smell of alcohol lingering inside the house finally hit him in the face.

“What is happening…Did someone die?” Bokuto asked in panic, looking back and forth between the boys in front of him, they looked shocked, disbelief all over their faces. He had been away from that violent reality for weeks, the idea of one of his friends dying hadn’t even crossed his mind. 

“YOU’RE DEAD.” Kuroo pointed at him.

“I’m dead?”

“Yes! No?...I think so!” Kuroo passed a hand through his hair, and he took two steps forward, placing his hands on Bokuto's shoulders. He inspected the boy from head to toe, frowning in concentration and gasping when he noticed the old scar on his neck and the most recent one on his arm. 

“But upper moon three kidnapped you and ate you!” 

Bokuto furrowed his brows, as if he was in deep thought. _Upper moon three_...Ah! Akaashi was upper moon three! Wait...Akaashi ate him?

“But he didn’t?” 

“What.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the translation of the nursery rhyme: 
> 
> Round, round, go round  
> Waterwheel, go round  
> Go round, and call Mr. sun
> 
> Birds, bugs, beasts, grass, trees, flowers  
> Bloom, bear fruit, and die  
> Be born, grow up, and die
> 
> Still the wind blows, the rain falls  
> The waterwheel goes round  
> Lifetime comes and go in turn  
> Lifetime comes and go in turn
> 
> Guys I finally made art of this!!!!! Please go check my post of Akaashi’s demon design and concept! (basically how I picture the Akaashi of this story) Hope you like it ;) 
> 
> post - https://sorhii.tumblr.com/post/637272749993295872/akaashi-keiji
> 
> I’d love to read your opinions on my work~

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr as @sorhii, i post some of my art there (I'll make art for this story soon~) See yaa


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